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Quillwork

Quillwork is perhaps the oldest form of Native American embroidery. Porcupine quills are soaked to make them pliable, and the flattened and dyed to give them color. The quills were then arranged into patterns, usually geometric. Quillwork was the preferential method of decorating moccasins, vests and other clothing up into the mid 1800′s when glass beads became easily attainable through trade with Europeans.